Asia-Pacific’s tourism sector to create 77 million jobs by 2032

The latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) was unveiled at the WTTC Global Summit 2022 in Manila. — CHESTER CHIN/The Star

The travel and tourism sector in Asia-Pacific is expected to create nearly 77 million new jobs within the next decade, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Its president Julia Simpson, during the WTTC Global Summit 2022 in Manila, the Philippines, said the pandemic-hit tourism sector in the region is set to recover and create employment opportunities.

“We are looking at 126 million jobs created globally in the travel and tourism sector. Of those, 77 million jobs are going to be in the Asia-Pacific region,” she said.

Simpson, citing data from WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR), said the tourism sector is set to rebound significantly.

“In 2019, Asia-Pacific was the fastest growing region in terms of travel and tourism in the world. It then became the hardest hit region (due to Covid-19).

“But the recovery is going to be so stellar that it’s going to recover really powerfully. This does depend on China reopening,” she said.

China’s dynamic zero strategy involves stopping infections with strict mitigation measures. This is in contrast to the approach adopted in other countries that rely on high vaccination rates and moderate mitigation like masks in an effort to live with Covid-19.

Globally, the WTTC expects employment in the sector to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

“The recovery in 2021 was slower than expected due in part to the impact of the Omicron variant but mainly due to an uncoordinated approach by governments who rejected the advice of the World Health Organization,” she said.

During the summit, Simpson also called for a more universally accepted travel pass.

“We have a patchwork of systems that hit customer confidence with costly tests and changing (travel) rules. We need to fully integrate a traveller’s health status into their digital travel documents,” she said.

The WTTC Global Summit 2022, with its theme of Rediscovering Travel, brings together industry leaders to discuss pressing issues related to travel and tourism.